I awoke the next morning very early, it was time to put our liquid luck into easy to transport containers before the rest of the dormitory woke up. I slipped out of bed and tiptoed over to Trent, who was sleeping face down on his pillow; the sound of his snoring rang against my ears as I pushed on his back, "Hey," I whispered "Wake up. We have work to do."
A groan came from his bed as he rolled over and covered his face with the quilt. "Can't it wait just a little longer?"
"No, now come on."
Trent groggily rose from his bed, flinging his pillow onto the floor and sliding into his slippers. We wrapped ourselves in our shower robes and went down stairs. I had tucked the brewing cauldron in a very far, dusty corner of the common room behind some old furniture. I could see that the potion was ready to transfer.
"Did you bring the vials?" I asked Trent as he yawned
"Yeah, mate." he pulled out two minuscule bottles and tossed them at me. I took one of the bottles and dunked it into the liquid, filling it to the brim. I repeated with the next bottle, then sealed them both. "Okay. Let's leave this here for right now, no one will touch it. Then we can throw it out once everyone is at their classes. I have the vials for our breakfast, we just need to spike our drinks without anyone noticing."
"Fantastic," Trent rubbed his eyes "I'm really not looking forward to our tests today. Defense Against the Dark Arts is probably the hardest class we've taken this year."
"No kidding. We are going to need this more than ever," I held the bottle up to the light and swirled the liquid around "This bottle is going to shape our futures to what we need it to be."
We finished up in the common room and went back to bed until breakfast. The great hall was filled with groggy students having stayed up all night studying for their OWLs. As I found my place at the Slytherin table, I noticed that professor Snape was up at the high table. I stood there and stared up at him for a moment, feeling a drought of guilt wash over me. He looked back at me and raised an eyebrow skeptically. As I was standing there in a trance, Trent sat down across from me and grabbed two goblets, filling them with carrot juice. "Okay, Oliver, are you ready?"
"Actually..." I sat down on the bench, slumping down with remorse. "I don't think we should do this, Trent."
"What?" he said, stopping mid pour "We spent all night brewing that crap and you don't want to take it now?"
I sighed and glanced back to the high table; Snape was listening intently to professor McGonagall speak, "I don't feel right. I already messed up big time by doing it yesterday, I don't want to do it again today."
"You make no bloody sense." Trent said with frustration
"I'm sorry. I won't stop you from taking it. But I'm not going to. I made a promise, and even if I broke it yesterday doesn't give me permission to continue to break it."
Trent snarled down at his bowl of oatmeal "You're no fun."
I smiled softly "I'm really not, am I?". We sat quietly as we ate our breakfast; Trent had taken out the vial and looked at it a few times, rolling it between his fingers. He finally put the vial under the table and I heard a small pop. Quickly, he sprinkled a few drops into his bowl and stirred. He then tilted his head back and shoveled the oatmeal into his mouth.
"That is one way to take it, I suppose." I said as he cleaned his face
"It's horrible tasting. I had to cover it with something sweet." he swished some juice in his mouth and swallowed
Our first and only obligation for the day was our Defense Against the Dark Arts OWLs test. Since I had only taken the class for a portion of the year, I was truly going in blind. Professor Leighton called for us to meet him on the training grounds, and to bring our pets along with us.
We went to the dormitory to retrieve Namira and Trent's cat, Bello. "Should I be concerned about my cat's life today?" Trent asked nervously as we walked out onto the training grounds. The sun was already rising high in the sky by the time we made it outside; the calm cool morning turned into a brilliant spring day. I shrugged, "I dunno. I just hope he doesn't get mad if Namira pecks him too much."
There were a few others already stationed outside, all either holding their animals tightly, or letting them wander around the grass. I saw two cats get into a little scuffle on the far end of the field; two students went chasing after them. I petted Namira under her beak and she screeched with joy.
The final students eventually made their way onto the training grounds, their animals in tow. Gregory had his owl perched on his arm, it's head swerved back and forth observing all the loose pets. He noticed Trent and I, and came over next to us.
"Hey guys." he said, his owl screeching
"What do you want, Fallin?" I scowled at him
"Thought you'd want to meet the extension to my arm. This is Verena, my screech owl." he proudly held out the arm that was holding her up
"That's great, but I really don't want to make any small talk with you." I said, rolling my eyes
Gregory lowered his voice "I already said I was sorry. What else do you want from me?"
"I want you to stay away from professor Snape!" I shouted at him. The whole class of waiting students quickly turned their attention to me. My face started to burn as I took Namira over to an empty part of the training grounds to wait for professor Leighton. It didn't take long after that for him and professor Dutour to show up. They each were wearing long sleeves, and collars up to their chins. Professor Leighton strolled across the field and clapped his hands together, "Come in closer, everyone. Please. I need everyone to be able to hear my words."
We all congregated in front of him as he took a look around, smiling at all of the interesting creatures we had brought with us. "Thank you everyone for following directions. You need not worry too much about your precious furry friends. They will only be used in a demonstration."
Everyone looked at each other anxiously. Professor Leighton directed Dutour to stand next to him. "If everyone could please put their beloved pets on the ground." with growing uncertainty, I set Namira on the grass. She flapped her wings, but stayed put. "This exam is on one of the most dangerous parts of the dark arts: chaos." he pointed at Bello, who had wrapped himself into a ball at Trent's feet, "Confundo!" professor Leighton exclaimed as he aimed his wand towards Bello. Suddenly, the cat sprung up from the ground and started to hiss, slashing his claws across Trent's ankles.
"Ow, you little bugger!" Trent said, grabbing his leg. "What did you do to my cat?!"
"I thought you of all people would know, Laywood." professor Dutour said to him coldly
Professor Leighton walked down the line of students, casting Confundus on each of their animals. Soon, every single animal had been hit with the charm. The cats were scratching, biting and running into each other, while the owls couldn't seem to make it off of the ground without knocking one another out of the air. The only toad in the group hadn't moved, but had flopped over onto its back and started kicking its legs.
As we stood there, watching our animals run amok, professor Leighton grinned and pointed to Melissa. "You there, Ms. Woodrew. Explain to me the Confundus charm." Melissa thought for a moment, her cat attempting to eat it's own tail, "It's the confusion charm, isn't it?"
"Very good. Confusion is chaos. Chaos happens in everyday life more than we give it credit for. Have you not gone a single day without something out of place? That is chaos, my dear students. And to know how to counteract the chaos, may be the only way you save yourself in a tragic situation." he pointed to the animals "Your test begins now. Control the chaos."
Everyone scrambled all over the field, attempting to chase down their pets. Wands were waving frantically and spells were being cast each and every way. "Remember, students! You need to control the chaos!" Professor Leighton laughed along side Dutour, who hadn't taken his eyes off Trent since the session began.
I chased Namira halfway back to the castle before I even found a chance to cast upon her. None of the spells I was casting seemed to pull her out of the confusion. I saw Trent cornering Bello near the broom shed, his wand extended, "Avis!" he shouted. A loud crack sounded as a collection of small birds shot out of the end of his wand. The birds flew around Bello, immediately grabbing his attention. He stopped chasing his tail and started following the birds around the grounds.
"Excellent, Mr. Laywood!" Professor Leighton called out "What an interesting way to control your chaos!"
Trent smiled, finally able to get his hands on the scruff of Bello's neck and picked him up. "Mr. Laywood has successfully intervened and stopped a chaotic event from spiraling out of control." he summoned Trent to come forward "Stand by me, lad. You can now watch how your friends solve their dilemmas."
I shot a dirty look up at Trent who was proudly standing next to professor Leighton. He had his cat on his shoulders, kneading into him as he talked with the professor. Dutour was nearby, seeming to be listening in to their conversation. I tried to put my focus back on Namira, who had started to eat her wing.
"Come on, girl. Snap out of it." I said to her. She screeched at me and bit down even harder on her wing. The other students around me were figuring out how to control their animals as I stood and stared at mine. I pondered while another student successfully got their pet to calm down.
"Okay, Namira. Let's try this." I held my wand out "Obscuro!" a blindfold abruptly appeared over Namira's eyes, causing her to stop what she was doing. She held off on biting her wing for a moment, and her screeching subsided. Soon, I was able to pick her back up and take off the blindfold.
"And Mr. Evans has found his way to control the chaos!" Professor Leighton said joyfully. "Goody goody. You are all doing quite well for not having much information to go on."
The last student got control of their animal, and came and joined the rest of us who were huddled around professor Leighton. We passed out bandages and salve to each other as Dutour stepped forward to speak.
"Very nice work class, very nice indeed." he said in a low, rumbling voice "Some of you show much promise for the art of defense. You never know what sorts of trouble you will find yourself running into out there, so be sure to learn now how to protect yourself and others." he looked over at Trent, who was seated on the ground playing with Bello. "Mr. Laywood, is it?"
"Yes, sir?" he replied
"I have to ask, simply because you were the first student to successfully control the chaos. How did you think of such an interesting and obscure solution?"
"Erm. I just...remembered it. I thought maybe that he would snap back to reality when he saw the birds. He loves chasing birds." Trent responded shakily
"Interesting," Dutour muttered. He leaned in to whisper to professor Leighton, who's lively expression slowly turned to wariness "Mr. Laywood, could you join myself and professor Dutour for a private conversation?" he said to Trent
"I suppose so." he stood up from the ground, holding Bello in his arms
"Everyone, great job today. You will all be graded on your accuracy and ability to quickly solve the problem. Please, go enjoy the rest of your day." professor Leighton waved us off the field.
I felt Namira's talons grip to my arm as we walked with the rest of the class off the training grounds. I looked back to see Trent rubbing his hands together while speaking to the professors. "Hope he's going to be okay." I said to Namira, entering back into the castle.
As I went back inside, I saw professor Snape walking the halls. He noticed me under the archway, changing his direction over to me. "Good afternoon, Evans." he said staring down at me. "Good afternoon, professor." I nodded to him and smiled
"I see you have finished your OWL testing for today." he looked at Namira and hesitated, "I have time in my afternoon to...fit you into my schedule, if you wanted to continue where we left off?"
I blushed lightly, pointing to Namira "I'll just go put her away, then."
"Do that. I will meet you in twenty minutes." he flourished his cloak behind him as he descended down the corridor, his footsteps fading away. I sighed longingly, watching him turn a corner out of sight.
"Oliver!" Trent called
I jumped, "Trent. My god, don't sneak up on me like that, mate." He was looking at me with obvious signs of distress. "What's gone on, Trent?"
"Professor Dutour knew I took the liquid luck! I think they're going to get me kicked to the curb!"
"What?!" my eyes widened "How did he know? I don't even recall seeing any of the effects on you, come to think of it."
"He said it was my eyes. Said that your eyes can tell a story when a potion is made wrong." Trent shook his head "He told me that he could tell the second he saw me, and was just waiting to see what would happen."
"But wait, you said that it showed because the potion was made wrong?"
"Apparently. If it had been made right, he only would have known from my actions. I don't know what we did wrong when making it."
"Let's not panic. You didn't actually take any real liquid luck, then. If it was made wrong, it just would have been an attempt that failed. We might be able to keep you out of trouble if we work up a good sob story." I said, starting to walk to the dungeons with Trent by my side.
"Yeah...yeah that's a good idea." he rubbed his chin in deep thought, "I could say that a seventh year told me it was an energy mixture."
"Perfect. What did you say to Leighton when you were talking to him?"
"Oh, professor I have no clue what you're talking about. What is Felix Felicis any how?" he looked over at me with big, sad eyes. I laughed and punched him in the arm "You're real good at that, aren't you?"
"Best there ever was." he said as we approached the common room.
I dropped Namira off in the dormitory and went back out to the corridors, heading to the potions classroom. I tucked my shirt into my waistband, and brushed off the sleeves of my cloak before I went inside. Snape was seated next to a station with a small, bubbling cauldron placed onto it. He finished what he was writing on a piece of parchment, and glanced up at me.
"Hello, Evans." he said somberly, "I have a request for your assistance."
"What can I help you with, professor?" I asked curiously
"I need you to hold onto something for me." he pulled out a purple, velvet bag from his pocket and set it on the table. I sat down, taking the bag in my hands "What is it?" I felt the bag, and could feel some type of glass bottle inside.
"Don't worry about what it is. Just put it in your trunk and forget about it being there." he said snappishly
I looked at him, taken aback "Yes, sir. How long do you need me to hold onto this?" he looked at his parchment; it was taken up by a large formula in the center with diagrams along the side. "About five days." he replied
Holding the bag in my hands I gave him a worried look, "And then what?"
"Keep it in your trunk for five days. You can bring it back to me at our next Masters class."
"Alright," I slipped it into my bag below the table and smiled "What are we learning about today, professor?"
He stood up and flounced to the center of the room, putting his hand into his pocket. "We need to work on your ability to defend yourself when the unexpected happens." He quickly drew his wand, pointing it straight at me "What do you do if you see an unknown person reaching for his wand?"
"I get prepared to cast 'Expelliarmus.'" I said, gripping my wand tightly. Snape held his wand steady, keeping his eyes locked onto mine. I lifted my arm to my side, getting ready to cast.
"An excellent answer," he said softly "Show me."
"Sir," I started "I don't want to hurt you."
"You aren't going to hurt me. Now cast it."
I took a stance uneasily, trying to focus my attention on the spell. I threw my arm forward, wand aimed at his "Expelliarmus!". His hand jerked as his wand flew across the room, hitting the blackboard before falling to the ground. He tucked his hair behind his ear and nodded, "Good, Evans. You will need to teach yourself to be able to cast that at any given moment. If you can disarm your opponent successfully, you can prevent many bad circumstances from taking place."
"Professor," I knelt down to pick up his wand, handing it back to him, "I never got the chance to say thank you for teaching me what you have. It truly has been an honour to work with you as we have been." he bit his lip, his eyes gazing back into mine. I went up to him and took his hand, holding just the tips of his fingers softly. My whole body turned warm "Thank you, professor."
"I am simply entertaining the mind and wisdom of a very devoted student." he gently pulled his hand away, speaking in an alleviating tone. The tight lines of his face softened the longer he looked at me, "Shall we... try again?"